The present invention relates generally to the field of environmentally protected housings for containing electronic components and, in particular, to the enhanced cooling of electronic components contained within environmentally protected housings.
Environmentally protected housings are used in a wide variety of applications, including containing and protecting electronic components of the type used for transferring signals over long distances. For example, the telecommunications industry transfers signals over optical fibers. If the signal is transferred over a long distance, the signal may be too weak by the time it reaches its destination to be useful. Consequently, electronic circuit cards are used to detect, clean up, and amplify a weak signal for retransmission through another length of fiber-optic cable. These electronic circuit cards are often deployed in environmentally protected housings located above and below ground.
Increased demands on the telecommunications industry, such as the advent of High-Bit-Rate Digital Subscriber Lines (HDSL), to meet the increasing needs of internet subscribers has resulted in the need to transfer more and stronger electrical signals over greater distances. One way of accomplishing this is to amplify the signals using electronic circuit cards deployed in environmentally protected housings. To meet the need for transferring stronger electrical signals over greater distances, electronic circuit cards having higher amplification capabilities, and thus greater heat dissipation rates, than the last generation of circuit cards of this type may be used. The need for more electrical signals of this type may be accommodated by placing as many of these higher-heat-dissipating circuit cards into a single environmentally protected housing as possible. However, existing housings configured to accommodate the heat loads of the last generation of electronic circuit cards cannot accommodate the increased heat load of larger numbers of higher-heat-dissipation electronic circuit cards.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for environmentally protected housings that can handle the increased heat load associated with increased numbers of higher-heat-dissipation electronic circuit cards and thereby maintain an acceptable operating temperature within the housing.
The above-mentioned problems with existing housings configured to accommodate the heat loads of the last generation of electronic circuit cards being unable accommodate the increased heat load of larger numbers of higher-heat-dissipation electronic circuit cards and other problems are addressed by embodiments of the present invention and will be understood by reading and studying the following specification. Embodiments of the present invention provide a housing adapted to contain objects, for example electronic circuit cards; at least one case located within the housing, the case adapted to confine the objects to different locations within the housing, the case also thermally coupled to the objects; and at least one heat sink adapted to absorb heat from the case, the heat sink thermally coupled to the case and the housing.
More particularly, in a first embodiment, the housing has a partial-shell. The partial-shell has a multitude of fins on its exterior, an aperture, and a cover adapted to selectively seal the aperture against the weather and a pressure differential. The partial-shell has a base adapted to seal the partial-shell against the weather and a pressure differential. The partial-shell and the cover can be any material having a suitable combination of thermal properties, corrosion resistance, and strength, such as a formulation of aluminum, bronze, and nickel. The base can be any material having a suitable combination corrosion resistance and strength, such as nylon, plastic, such as ABS, or structural foam.
The case defines an object containment volume within the housing. The case has a frame that surrounds the object containment volume. The case has a first partition that divides the object containment volume two individual regions. The case has several second partitions that divide each region into several sections. Each of the second partitions is thermally coupled to the frame and to the first partition.
Each of the sections is divided into several slots. Each slot contains one of the objects. Each object is either thermally coupled to the frame, a second partition, and the first partition or to two second partitions and the first partition. The frame, the first partition, and the second partitions can be any material having suitable thermal properties, such as aluminum, copper bronze, brass, or the like.
The case is adapted to selective reconfiguration between operating and non-operating configurations. The non-operating configuration is defined by the second partitions of one of the regions being displaced relative to the second partitions of the other region. The operating configuration is defined by the second partitions of one of the regions being aligned with the second partitions of the other region.
At least one heat sink is thermally coupled to the case. The heat sink is a solid block and can be of any material suitable for heat sinks, such as aluminum, copper bronze, brass, or the like.
The first embodiment has a cage attached to the base. The cage is adapted to confine the case, including at least one heat sink thermally coupled thereto, to the base. The cage can be of any suitable material, such as plastic. In this configuration at least one heat sink extends through the cage. When the partial-shell is attached to the base with the cage, having at least one heat sink protruding therethrough, attached thereto, the heat sink protruding therethrough is thermally coupled to the partial-shell. The base has a lead-out, such as for wires used to input and output electrical signals to and from the objects. The lead-out is sealed against the weather and a pressure differential.
In a second embodiment, the housing has a pair of partial-shells. The partial shells are mated together to form a single-shell that has opposing first and second openings. Each of the partial shells has a number of fins on its exterior. The partial-shells can be of a material equivalent to that of the partial shell of the first embodiment. The embodiment includes a case that can be structurally and functionally equivalent to the case of the first embodiment. The embodiment includes at least one heat sink thermally coupled to the case that can be functionally equivalent to the heat sink of the first embodiment. The case and the heat sink can be of materials equivalent to the case and heat sink of the first embodiment, respectively.
The second embodiment has a cage that contains the case, including at least one heat sink thermally coupled thereto. The cage has continuous opposing first and second openings. The cage, including the case having at least one heat sink thermally coupled thereto, is contained between the partial shells, as mated together to form the single-shell. In this configuration, the first opening of the cage coincides with the first opening of the single shell and the second opening of the cage coincides with at least a portion of the second opening of the single shell.
The second embodiment has a first cover adapted to selectively simultaneously close the first opening in the single-shell and seal the first opening of the cage against the weather and a pressure differential. The second embodiment has a second cover adapted to simultaneously close at least a portion of the second opening in the single-shell and seal the second opening of the cage against the weather and a pressure differential.
The first cover can be of the same material as the partial-shells, or a suitable equivalent. The second cover can be the same material as the base of the first embodiment, or a suitable equivalent. The second cover has a lead-out, such as for wires used to input and output electrical signals to and from the objects. The lead-out is sealed against the weather and a pressure differential.
As configured, the cage contains the case so that at least one heat sink protrudes through one of its openings and so that the case and the objects contained therein are sealed against the weather and a pressure differential by the first and second covers. When the cage is contained between the partial shells, at least one heat sink is thermally coupled to one of the partial shells.
In a third embodiment, the housing has a shell. The interior of the shell is divided into a pair of compartments by a partition. The shell has a pair of first apertures, one for each compartment. The shell has a second aperture opposite the first apertures. The shell has a pair of first covers, each adapted to selectively seal one of the first apertures against the weather and a pressure differential. The shell has a second cover adapted to seal the second aperture against the weather and a pressure differential. The second cover has a lead-out for wires.
The shell also has at least one third aperture located in one of the compartments between and perpendicular to one of the first apertures and the second aperture. The shell also has at least one third cover, each third cover adapted to seal the third aperture against the weather and a pressure differential. The third cover has a number of fins on its exterior. A portion of the third cover can be thermally coupled to a portion of the shell.
The third embodiment includes at least one case that can be structurally and functionally equivalent to the case of the first embodiment. The case can be of the same material as the case of the first embodiment, or a suitable equivalent. The case is located in the compartment having the third aperture. The third embodiment includes at least one heat sink that can be functionally equivalent to the heat sink of the first embodiment. The heat sink can be of the same material as the heat sink of the first embodiment, or a suitable equivalent. The heat sink is thermally coupled to the interior of the third cover and to the case.
In another embodiment, the heat sink includes a phase-change material (PCM) that changes from a solid to a liquid and vice versa. In another embodiment, the heat sink includes a PCM that changes from a liquid to a vapor and vice versa. In another embodiment, the heat sink includes at least one heat pipe.
In manufacturing the first embodiment, a partial shell having a number of fins on its exterior and an aperture is formed. A cover is formed and used to selectively seal the aperture against the weather and a pressure differential. A base having a lead-out is formed.
A case adapted to confine the objects to different locations within the housing is formed. Forming the case involves forming a frame, a first partition, and a number of second partitions. The region within the frame is divided into two regions using the first partition, each region is divided into a number of sections using the second partitions, and a number of slots is formed in each of the sections. Thermal couplings between each of the second partitions, the frame, and the first partition are formed.
Manufacturing the case also involves adapting the case to be selectively reconfigured between a non-operating configuration and an operating configuration. The non-operating configuration includes the second partitions of one the regions being displaced relative to the second partitions of the other region. The operating configuration includes the second partitions of one of regions being aligned with the second partitions of the other region.
An object, such as an electronic circuit card, is either thermally coupled to the first partition, frame, and a second partition or to the first partition, frame, and two partitions by ensuring the case is in the non-operating configuration, inserting the object into one of the slots, and selectively reconfiguring the case into the operating configuration. A thermally conducting material, of the type specially manufactured for thermal contact situations, can be deployed between the mating surfaces of the thermal couplings.
At least one heat sink is formed using a solid block of material. The heat sink is thermally coupled to one of the frame walls. A cage is also formed and used to contain the case, including at least one heat sink coupled thereto, so that the heat sink protrudes though the cage.
Manufacturing the first embodiment also involves attaching the cage and its contents to the base, inserting the cage into the partial-shell to form a thermal coupling between at least one heat sink and the partial-shell, and using the base to seal the partial-shell against the weather and a pressure differential. Also involved is sealing the lead-out in the base against the weather and a pressure differential.
In manufacturing the second embodiment, two partial-shells are formed, each having a number of fins on its exterior. A case that can be functionally and structurally equivalent to the case of the first embodiment is formed. At least one heat sink is formed using a solid block of material and is thermally coupled to the case.
A cage having opposing continuous first and second openings is formed and is used to contain the case, including at least one heat sink coupled thereto, so that at least one heat sink protrudes through the cage. The partial-shells are mated together to form a single-shell about the cage that has first and second openings, the first opening being coincident with the first opening of the cage and at least a portion of the second opening being coincident with the second opening of the cage. Mating the partial-shells about the cage also forms a thermal coupling between at least one heat sink and at least one of the partial-shells.
A first cover is formed and is used to selectively simultaneously cover the first opening in the single-shell and seal the first opening in the cage against the weather and a pressure differential. A second cover having a lead-out, such as for wires, is formed and is used to simultaneously close at least a portion of the second opening in the single-shell and seal the second opening of the cage against the weather and a pressure differential. Sealing the second opening of the cage also involves sealing the lead-out against the weather and a pressure differential. Sealing the first and second openings of the cage also seals the case and the objects contained therein against the weather and a pressure differential.
In manufacturing the third embodiment, a shell is formed. The interior of the shell so formed is divided into a pair of compartments by a partition. The shell so formed has a pair of first apertures, one first aperture for each compartment, and a second aperture opposite the first apertures. The shell so formed has at least one third aperture located in one compartment between and perpendicular to one of the first apertures and the second aperture.
At least one case that can be structurally and functionally equivalent to the case of the first embodiment is formed. The case is positioned in the compartment having the third aperture. A pair of first covers is formed and each is used to selectively seal one of the first apertures against the weather and a pressure differential. A second cover having a lead out for wires is formed and used to seal the second aperture. Sealing the second aperture involves sealing the lead-out against the weather and a pressure differential.
At least one heat sink, structurally and functionally equivalent to the heat sink of the first embodiment, is formed. At least one third cover is formed. The third cover so formed has a number of fins on its exterior and can be of the same material as the partial shell and the cover of the first embodiment, or a suitable equivalent. The third cover is used to seal the third aperture against the weather and a pressure differential. The heat sink is thermally coupled to the case and the third cover. A portion of the third cover can be thermally coupled to the shell.
In manufacturing another embodiment, a heat sink is formed by configuring it to encapsulate a PCM that changes from a solid to a liquid and vice versa. In manufacturing another embodiment, a heat sink is formed by configuring it to encapsulate a PCM that changes from a liquid to a vapor and vice versa. In manufacturing another embodiment, a heat sink is formed to include at least one heat pipe.